Rare, all-white killer whale spotted

A picture released on April 23, 2012 shows the fin of a white killer whale nicknamed Iceberg travelling in a pod of 13 orcas near Bering Island. ( E.LAZAREVA/AFP/Getty Images)

A white dorsal fin among a pod of orca whales swimming off the coast of Russia is believed to be that of the first all-white adult orca spotted by scientists, the BBC reported.

The rare creature, nicknamed Iceberg, was found by the Far East Russia Orca Project.

“We’ve seen another two white orcas in Russia but they’ve been young, whereas this is the first time we’ve seen a mature adult,” researcher Erich Hoyt told BBC News. “It has the full two-metre-high dorsal fin of a mature male, which means it’s at least 16 years old – in fact the fin is somewhat ragged, so it might be a bit older.”